After some fabulous shows in Texas in the spring, I thought "this could be the turning point, this could be the best year for me". Having done these shows for only 3 years, I never experienced the "good old days", and I have only the recession experience under my belt.
But it seems since May all of my shows have been down from last year.
Rittenhouse Square in Philly has been a consistently good show for me. There was an earlier post about the show, so I won't repeat, but Friday and Saturday were super slow, and Sunday we broke down early for a tornado and hail watch, right in the middle of the best crowds of the weekend. Not a lot you can do about Mother Nature, but the first 2 days were not up to par.
Lakefront in Milwaukee Is a pleasure to do. It is a wonderful show in a wonderful setting. (see Nels' blog about the show last year. He covered all the details). That being said, it seemed to me that the crowd, big indeed, was holding back. I did half what I did the year before, and I saw almost no 2-D work leave the show, save for matted prints that I suspect were of a lower price point. I talked to many of my painter friends, and no one did well. The people kept telling me they wished they could afford my work. ( Is this a form of blowing smoke? Perhaps...but how do I explain Texas?).
Finally Cherry Creek - This is a truly wonderful show to do in terms of load in, load out, artist parking is the easiest and closest of any show I have done. The volunteers are everywhere with water, snacks and offers of help. The weather can be dicey, but wait 10 minutes. And the crowds were there. Only they were not buying 2-D painting or drawing least I can tell (please, someone tell me otherwise). Again, I did half what I did the year before, and none of my painting friends did well, maybe meeting expenses. Again, I saw almost no 2-D work being carried, except for matted prints, which painters, and artists such as myself, did not have available. I sold only small drawings, and people were even sensitive to that lower price.
I have been talking to my friends in the financial business, and they are not surprised by my experience. They are telling me the economy is shakier than even last year. I know some jewelers and smaller priced artists are not suffering the same fate, and this is the observation of one artist, but it seems to me that patrons are thinking twice about spending more that a thousand dollars for a piece of artwork.
Maybe when the oil well is capped?
Comments
Now that is many months later, I think this period (April, May June, July 2010) may indeed have been an anomaly. Interesting how it corresponds to the daily image of oil gushing from the well in the Gulf. Two weeks after the well was capped I had a very good show in Bellevue, WA. Every show since then has been good (my definition of good is over 5K) Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia was good this Fall (I am seeing a trend there that the Fall is better)
I think the mood of art buyers was influenced by the oil spill, and the generally bad news on TV during that time. I hope we don't go back to that any time soon.
But, you're right. Something happened long about May. 2D sales over $100 came to a screeching halt. I could sell matted 8x10s or my 12x12 $95 framed paintings (my lowest price point before introducing the matted 8x10s) but rarely anything more expensive. Because this is my sole support/income, I've always been pragmatic about my pricing. Both other artists and buyers tell me my prices are too low. Still, since May, it's been a tough row to hoe. Even Madison last week followed suit.
Galleries and gift shops I work with have told me the dynamics shifted for them as well long about May.
I would love, love, love to be in Cherry Creek. That's my birth place - and I have a big client base there who would gladly come to buy. I applied for the first time this year - and will apply again. I love making art so much - I will set the price according to the market. Having never tasted the thriving art days in the previous 15 years - I'll be happily surprised when I can raise the price of my work to the level it deserves. :)
The next question would logicaly be "Why don't you dumb your work down?" Trust me...most of us are trying to come up with lower cost work. The problem is a skill and vision level that does not permit immature work to materialize. I am scrambling like crazy to figure out how to make a living in these times! I hope I have the wisdom to see the answer when it appears!
That brings me to another point I have been pondering. At what point, if any, do you do a show consecutively before you experience diminishing returns. At what point does your work become "stale" at a certain show. I know everyone's experience would be different and there are no rules, but is it wise to search out new venues? Most of my sales at Cherry Creek were people who had been looking for 3 years, and finally decided to buy. But how often does one return to a show waiting for said patrons to bite?